June 1, 2025 • 39 mins
When God blesses us, how do we respond? Do we use those blessings for God's glory or our own? These crucial questions lie at the heart of an extraordinary spiritual turning point in Isaiah 38-39 – chapters that complete the transition from prophecies of judgment to promises of comfort and restoration.
King Hezekiah's story unfolds like a spiritual roller coaster. First, we see him facing a terminal illness at just 39 years old. Rather than sinking into despair, Hezekiah turns his face to the wall and pleads with God, weeping bitterly. God responds with astounding grace – not only healing him completely but adding fifteen more years to his life and promising to defend Jerusalem from the approaching Assyrian threat.
Hezekiah's initial response is beautiful. He composes a psalm expressing both the depths of his despair during illness and the heights of his gratitude for God's deliverance. Using powerful imagery of a shepherd's tent torn down by a storm and threads cut from a loom, he acknowledges God's sovereignty and pledges to praise Him continually.
But then something shifts. When envoys arrive from Babylon bearing gifts and congratulations on his recovery, pride creeps into Hezekiah's heart. The international recognition feeds his ego, leading him to foolishly display all his treasures and military resources. This pride-driven decision brings Isaiah's sobering prophecy: everything Hezekiah showed off would eventually be carried away to Babylon. Most troubling is Hezekiah's response – relief that at least there would be "peace and security during my lifetime," revealing a startling lack of concern for future generations.
This cautionary tale mirrors our own spiritual journeys. Like Hezekiah, we too can receive God's blessings only to misappropriate them through pride. The contrast with Johann Sebastian Bach, who humbly used his musical talents to glorify God for centuries after his death, couldn't be more striking.
What kind of legacy are you building with the blessings God has given you? Will your choices, like Hezekiah's, bring consequences that outlive you? Or will you, like Bach, steward God's gifts with humility and faithfulness? The choice is yours, and the impact will echo through generations.
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Ted Lee (00:00):
Isaiah and we come to a section of Isaiah which is an
inflection point in the book ofIsaiah.
We've come to a transition ofthe book of Isaiah and for the
past couple of weeks we've beenspending time in that, looking
at this historic transition.
Our text for today is chapters38 and 39.
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These two chapters completethis transition in the book of
Isaiah from the prophecies ofjudgment to the prophecies of
comfort and hope and restoration.
The title of today's message isFaltering and Failing, and I've
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subtitled it.
The Choices we Make, theLessons from the Life of
Hezekiah.
In 1685, a young musician inGermany was the eighth and
youngest child to be born to afamily of musicians.
He received a strong Christianeducation and a theological
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foundation as a schoolboy.
At the age of 10, though, heencountered the most significant
crisis in his life His motherdied and eight months later his
father died.
By the grace of God, his eldestbrother took him in where he
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studied, performed and copiedmusic.
He received valuable teachingfrom his brother.
Finding a job was difficult andthere are a limited number of
opportunities, and the demandfor musicians was primarily tied
to the patronage of nobles andthe church.
At the age of 18, he received amodest commission to create
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music for a church.
How did this young man's heartview these blessings that God
had given him?
The attitude that this youngman held in his heart toward
God's blessings would shape hisdecisions and not only impact
his life, but also the legacy hewould leave for future
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generations.
So it is with us.
The choices that we make inresponse to God's blessings flow
out of the attitudes we hold inour hearts.
They will impact not just ourlives, but also the legacy we
will leave for our children andour children's children.
Hezekiah's story urges us toevaluate our heart's attitude
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and response towards theblessings God has given you.
You can falter and fail, likeHezekiah, or you can respond
wisely, grounded, humility andfaithfulness to God's purpose.
Your legacy will bear the marksof your choices.
(02:55):
Let's examine a part ofHezekiah's life that we have not
seen in our studies in Isaiahso far.
We will look at a time when hewas threatened by a fatal
disease but yet recovered, andshortly thereafter he received a
visit by delegates from Babylon, the aspiring power to be.
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This is recorded in Isaiahchapters 38 and 39.
We'll dissect these events andlearn from Hezekiah's response
by way of three points Pleadingwith God, praising God for his
goodness and pride.
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Before the fall, let's go toGod in prayer.
Heavenly Father, we come beforeyou with humble hearts, asking
that you would open our eyes tosee and our minds to understand
the truths you have revealed tous in your word.
Remove any blindness orhardness from our hearts that
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would keep us from receivingwhat you desire to teach us.
That would keep us fromreceiving what you desire to
teach us.
Help us to approach your wordwith reverence, expectancy and
hearts ready to be transformed.
In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
(04:24):
In Isaiah chapters 36 and 37,hezekiah's faith was tested by
events in international politics.
His capital city, jerusalem,was on the brink of collapse as
the Assyrian war machine waspoised to bulldozer over
Jerusalem.
These events occurred in 701 BC.
In chapters 36 and 37, hezekiahshowed how it is possible to
turn fear into a calm andconfident trusting in God's
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promises and finding deliverance.
The events recorded in Isaiahchapters 38 and 39 occurred a
couple of years before theAssyrian king Sennacherib
attacked Jerusalem, so they areout of sequence.
But many of the chapters inIsaiah are not chronological but
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are arranged thematically,addressing different historical
situations.
The king of Babylon, merodagBaladin, mentioned in chapter 39
, ruled Babylon in the years 722to 710 BC and again in 704 BC.
(05:32):
His reign ended when theAssyrian king, sennacherib,
quelled that rebellion in 703 BC.
It was during Merodag Baladin'ssecond reign that Hezekiah
became severely ill andmiraculously recovered.
After Hezekiah recovered, theking of Babylon sent an envoy to
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visit Hezekiah.
This event took place two tothree years before the Assyrian
invasion two to three yearsbefore the Assyrian invasion.
So Hezekiah still had hismilitary resources.
They were stockpiled and he hadnot yet squandered his rich
treasury in a last-ditch effortto pay off Sennacherib to avoid
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Assyrian domination.
So with this background, let'slook at the first point Pleading
with God.
We'll look at this first aswhat triggered Hezekiah to plead
with God?
What action did Hezekiah takeand what was the result of
Hezekiah's action?
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So what triggered Hezekiah toplead with God?
In contrast to the nationalcrisis brought on by the
military campaign of Sennacheriband his massive Assyrian army
in chapters 36 and 37, thecrisis Hezekiah encountered here
was intensely personal.
Let's look at verse 1, chapter38, verse 1.
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Let's look at verse 1, chapter38, verse 1.
In those days, hezekiah becameterminally ill.
The prophet Isaiah, son of Amos, came and said to him this is
what the Lord says set yourhouse in order, for you are
about to die.
You will not recover.
You are about to die, you willnot recover.
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Hezekiah appears to havesuffered from a serious skin
infection.
We learn that in verse 21.
Hezekiah appears to havesuffered quite badly, to the
point of death.
Some have thought it might havebeen leprosy, but then leprosy
is never really life-threatening.
Some thought it might have beenthe bubonic plague, and if
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you're infected with a bubonicplague you have a matter of days
to a week still to live.
Regardless of what sicknessthat was, it was extremely
serious and Hezekiah was at thepoint of death.
But it's odd that we are notgiven any reason for this
announcement and why Hezekiahwas struck with this illness.
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Famous, righteous kingsgenerally do not die at a young
age without some reason orwithout God's involvement age
without some reason or withoutGod's involvement.
We get a hint of a possiblereason from the chronicler's
commentary in 2 Chronicles,chapter 32, verse 25.
He writes however, because hisheart was proud, hezekiah didn't
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respond according to thebenefit that had come to him.
So there was wrath on him,judah and Jerusalem.
God gave an imperative toHezekiah here.
He said set your house in orderTo put his house in order might
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include more than just theobvious need to make political
decisions about who the nextking would be.
Another aspect of gettingthings in order before you die
could include things likespiritual things, getting back
into a right relationship withGod.
His illness, perhaps, was akind of wake-up call.
Hezekiah was only 39 years old.
(09:32):
He was still young and waslooking forward to much more of
life ahead of him, and he had ayoung son, manasseh, to train.
What action did Hezekiah take?
How did Hezekiah respond tothis news?
Instead of dwelling in despair,hezekiah turned to God in
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prayer.
He demonstrated faith andhumility.
Look at verse 2 and 3.
Then Hezekiah turned his faceto the wall and prayed to the
Lord.
He said Please, lord, rememberhow I have walked before you
faithfully and wholeheartedlyand have done what pleases you,
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and Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Now notice that Hezekiah didthree things.
He turned his face to the walland prayed.
He removed himself fromdistractions and concentrated
his focus onto prayer.
The second thing is he pleadedhis faithfulness, his
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wholeheartedness, doing what wasgood in God's eyes, his
wholeheartedness, doing what wasgood in God's eyes.
He aimed to walk faithfully andwas devoted to the Lord, in the
early years of Hezekiah's reign, he initiated significant
reforms that included cleaning,repairing and reopening the
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temple the temple which had beenused for idol worship by his
father, king Ahaz.
Hezekiah removed the highplaces and destroyed idols.
But do you remember Hezekiah'sprayer in chapter 37 that we
looked at last week?
This prayer in chapter 38 seemsradically different from the
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humble tone of the prayer inchapter 37.
In this prayer, hezekiah doesnot proclaim his bold and
uncompromising faith in God.
In chapter 37, he confessed howgreat God is and that he is the
creator who rules over allkingdoms, and that he is the
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creator who rules over allkingdoms.
In this prayer, hezekiahdoesn't repent of any sin, nor
does he implore God to act inways that would declare his
glory to all peoples of theearth, as he did in chapter 37.
But also remember, this prayerreflects a spiritually less
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mature heart than what his heartwas two years later.
The third thing Hezekiah did washe wept.
Possibly he wept bitterly,causing him to realize his own
unworthiness and his need totrust God rather than his own
good works.
Instead of having a pity partyover his terminal health
(12:29):
conditions, hezekiah humbledhimself and turned to God in
prayer.
Now, what was the result ofHezekiah's prayer?
The Lord responded toHezekiah's plea almost
immediately.
But don't take this to meanthat God always answers prayers
right away.
What we do need to know is thatGod himself calls his people to
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trust in him.
He tells us to be still andknow that I am God Psalm 46.10.
The Lord's response to Hezekiahis seen in verses 5 and 6.
Go and tell Hezekiah.
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This is what the Lord, god ofyour ancestor David, says I have
heard your prayer, I have seenyour tears.
Look, I am going to add 15years to your life and I will
rescue you and the city from thegrasp of the king of Assyria.
I will defend this city.
In the parallel passage in 2Kings 20, verse 5, the Lord,
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speaking through Isaiah, addedthe Lord was going to heal him
in a matter of three days.
There are several generalprinciples we can take from this
.
First, god's positive responseto your prayers is not a way of
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paying you back for your gooddeeds.
In fact, god acknowledgedHezekiah's prayer and his tears,
but said nothing about his goodworks.
So don't get in your mind intothinking that you can make deals
with God by considering Lord.
I'll do this for you if you cando that for me.
It's evident in Hezekiah, first, that good works alone will not
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prevent any early death.
Second thing is that all youcan do, and the most important
thing you can do, is to confessyour sins and cry out to God for
mercy.
And thirdly, that God mightsometimes choose to heal the
sick miraculously if it fitsinto his greater purposes.
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The second general principle wecome to see as a result of
Hezekiah's prayer is God is ableto do far more than what you
ask or imagine.
This same principle is seen inPaul's doxology, in his prayer
to the Ephesians at the end ofEphesians, chapter 3.
Prayer to the Ephesians at theend of Ephesians, chapter 3.
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God's power exceeds humanunderstanding.
Hezekiah never asked to livefor 15 more years, nor did he
ask for God to deliver the cityof Jerusalem, which wasn't going
to be attacked, by the way, foranother two or three years.
The third principle we see isthat God's plans take into
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consideration not only thecurrent situation but also
future situations that you mightnot even be aware of today.
For Hezekiah, it was God'sdeliverance of Jerusalem and his
plans for Hezekiah himself ashe faced the Assyrian invasion a
few years later, as you recall,in chapters 36 and 37, there
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were lessons that Hezekiah stillneeded to learn.
God could foresee the biggerpicture and knew that he needed
to teach Hezekiah, in otherwords, to get Hezekiah into a
position to trust him completely.
We learned that what would meanbreaking Hezekiah's pride was
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that the extension of life thatGod granted him.
The Lord was then sovereignlyorchestrating Hezekiah's
experiences, ultimately to meetthe major shock of his life a
face-to-face encounter with theAssyrian army.
(16:51):
So, in your moments of crisis,plead with God, turn to God in
prayer, seek his mercy and hisintervention, but know this God
may respond to your pleading inorder to teach you to trust him
completely.
When you're feeling emotionallydrained and burdened by a very
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difficult situation, make it aregular practice to set aside
time each evening to turn yourface to the wall.
Create a peaceful spot in yourhome where you can escape
distractions.
Use this time to pray andmeditate on God's promises,
allowing yourself to processyour feelings.
(17:33):
Invite the Lord to carry yourburdens with you and remind
yourself that you are not alonein your struggles.
Find rest in God's presence.
In deep despair for the suddennews of his impending death,
hezekiah pleaded with God inhumility, being full of mercy
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and grace, god responded toHezekiah and miraculously healed
him from his near-deathcondition.
Not only that, god gave him 15extra years of life and promised
to rescue him and Jerusalemfrom the king of Assyria.
These undeserved blessingscatalyzed Hezekiah to praise God
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for his goodness.
So this is our second pointregarding Hezekiah's response to
God.
He praised God for his goodness.
Hezekiah's response to God forhis healing is filled with
gratitude and reflection,acknowledging God's goodness.
Hezekiah composed a psalm.
Acknowledging God's goodness.
Hezekiah composed a psalm.
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Not all of us can readilycompose a psalm, but we do so in
different ways in our ownhearts.
But he composed a psalm thathad two parts.
There was a lament over hisimpending death and a
thanksgiving for the Lord'sdeliverance.
Hezekiah reflected over thedanger that he was in and the
despair that he felt.
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Turn with me to verse 10.
Hezekiah says in the prime ofmy life I must go to the gates
of Sheol.
I am deprived of the rest of myyears.
I said I will never see theLord, the Lord, in the land of
the rest of my years.
I said I will never see theLord, the Lord, in the land of
the living.
I will not look on humanity anylonger, with the inhabitants of
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what is passing away.
My dwelling is plucked up andremoved from me like a
shepherd's tent.
I have rolled up my life like aweaver.
He cuts me off from the loom bynightfall.
You make an end of me.
I thought until the morning hewill break my bones like a lion.
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By nightfall you make an end ofme.
We see here three images ofdespair.
The shepherd's tent, which istaken down forcibly by a storm
or by an enemy, depicts howfragile life is.
The weaver the weaver whosevers the thread of life.
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And when the cloth of life getslarge enough, that's an image
of life's determined end.
The pain felt as every bone inhis body was being broken by a
lion portrays divine hostility.
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These are the feelings thatHezekiah was feeling.
And from these three imagesanother image emerged, an image
of despair in the way we respond.
We see this in the feeblenessof prayer.
Hezekiah felt that his voicebecame thin and weak, sounding
like the weak and mournfulsounds of birds.
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See that in verse 14.
Hezekiah grew weary as thestrain of prayer seemed to make
him grow even weaker.
But notice how Hezekiah'sprayer looked to the power of
God in verse 14 at the end ohLord, he says.
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He also expressed his need,saying I am oppressed.
He says, and Hezekiah pleadedwith God to come to his aid.
Hezekiah knew that he wasn'table to heal himself.
Hezekiah realized that theexperience should humble him
because he knew that God broughton this illness.
(21:34):
Verse 15 says what can I say?
He has spoken to me and hehimself has done it.
So he pleaded with God toanswer him and pay the debt he
could not pay himself.
How God delivered Hezekiah fromdeath foreshadows what Jesus
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Christ did to pay the penalty ofdeath that wretched sinners
like you and me owe to a holyand just God.
This salvation is a majorblessing from God to a believer
in Christ and encompasses a widerange of spiritual gifts.
Salvation is by grace alone,through faith alone in Jesus
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Christ alone.
Trust in him, and he will giveyou rest from all your burdens.
So, after reflecting on theserecent dangers that Hezekiah
faced with his life-threateningillness, hezekiah abruptly
changed the tone of this psalm.
He changed it to expressgratefulness and God restored
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him to health.
Look at verse 16.
Lord, by such things peoplelive, and in every one of them
my spirit finds life.
You have restored me to healthand let me live.
Hezekiah acted as one who hadpersonally benefited from the
Lord's mercy.
He sensed that God's love waswith him and that God did not
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punish him in accord with whathis sins deserved.
We see this in verse 17.
Indeed, it was for my ownwell-being that I'd had such
intense bitterness, but yourlove has delivered me from the
pit of destruction, for you havethrown all my sins behind your
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back.
Hezekiah voiced his gratefulpraise in the presence of the
covenant community, and we seethis in Isaiah 38, verses 19 and
20.
19, the living, only the living, can thank you as I do today.
A father will make yourfaithfulness known to children.
(23:52):
The Lord is ready to save me.
We will play stringedinstruments all the days of our
lives at the house of the Lord.
In his joy, hezekiah makes twolonger-term commitments.
The first one is to teach hischildren about God's faithful
covenant love, his covenant lovefor his people, and second, to
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continually praise God.
Well, let's see if Hezekiahfollows up on this.
Hezekiah's commitment to praiseGod and to declare his
faithfulness should be mirroredin our own lives.
God's interventions in ourlives are his blessings and they
warrant heartfelt thanksgiving.
(24:36):
When God intervenes in yourlife.
Do you wholeheartedly thank Godand praise him in your life?
Do you wholeheartedly thank Godand praise him?
When we acknowledge ourblessings and praise God for his
goodness?
Our faith deepens, especiallyin preparation for future
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uncertainties.
Future uncertainties when yourecognize that all of what you
have has come to you from theLord, when you recognize that
there is absolutely nothing thatyou did to deserve God's mercy,
and when you recognize thatyour deliverance from paying the
debt you owe God for your sinswas paid for by the death,
burial and resurrection of JesusChrist, then you will begin to
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realize how exceedingly blessedyou are.
This deepens your faith in Godof the universe and prepares you
to enter life's uncertainties.
Hezekiah was a man of faith whorecognized his mortality and
sinfulness.
He pleaded for God's grace andmercy and was blessed with a
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miraculous healing from neardeath and was graced with an
extension of life.
He praised God for his goodnessand promised God a new
obedience.
But when past and presentblessings produce pride in your
heart instead of a lastingthankfulness, as we shall see in
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Hezekiah, your heart's attitudemight cause you to make
decisions that could negativelyimpact your relationship with
God, your future and yourchildren and your children's
children.
So beware, there is pridebefore the fall.
This is our third point Pridebefore the fall.
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God's blessings could lead youto deeper faithfulness or
dangerous pride.
God's blessings could lead youto deeper faithfulness or
dangerous pride.
How did Hezekiah treat?
God's blessings?
Could lead you to deeperfaithfulness or dangerous pride.
How did Hezekiah treat God'sblessings?
Well, let's look at chapter 39.
Verse 1.
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At that time, merodag Baladan,son of Baladan, king of Babylon,
sent letters and a gift toHezekiah, since he heard that he
had been sick and had recovered.
Hezekiah was pleased with theletters and he showed the envoys
his treasure house, the silver,the gold, the spices and the
(27:15):
precious oil and all his armoryand everything that was found in
his treasures.
There was nothing in his palaceand in all his realm that
Hezekiah did not show them.
Look at the blessings Hezekiahhad.
He had newly found health, hehad an extended lifespan, he had
(27:36):
wealth and riches of variouskinds.
Do you see Hezekiah's pridesurfacing?
Is there something aboutHezekiah that reminds you about
yourself?
To better understand Hezekiah'spride issue, let's see what
contributed to and led up tothis foolish display of his
(27:59):
wealth.
Assyria repeatedly defeated andcontrolled Babylon.
Muradak-baladan, the king ofBabylon, was subject to the
Assyrian empire.
When the Assyrian king SargonII died in 705 BC, he left the
(28:20):
kingship to his son Sennacherib.
He left the kingship to his sonSennacherib.
This brought on some politicalinstability in Assyria, so
Meridach-Baladin tried to takeadvantage of the situation and
he tried to gain independencefrom Assyria.
This was the setting of thisvisit.
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So, while the exact reason forwhy the king of Babylon sent
letters and a gift to Hezekiahfollowing his recovery is not
explicitly stated, but itappeared to involve more than
just a simple visit to an oldfriend.
Muradach Baladin's actions werelikely aimed at forming a
rebellious alliance againstAssyria, with Hezekiah as a
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potential partner.
Let's look at verse 3, chapter39.
Then the prophet Isaiah came toKing Hezekiah and asked him
what did these men say and wheredid they come to you from?
And Hezekiah replied they cameto me from a distant country,
from Babylon.
Notice that Hezekiah repliedthey came to me from a distant
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country, from Babylon.
Notice that Hezekiahconveniently did not answer the
first question, the firstquestion being what did these
men say?
Isaiah must have sensed thatHezekiah was hiding something.
And then, verse 4 Isaiah askedwhat have they seen in your
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palace?
Hezekiah's answer to thisquestion revealed to Isaiah,
what was really going on?
The text says Hezekiah answeredthey have seen everything in my
palace.
There isn't anything in mytreasuries that I didn't show
them.
And with this statementHezekiah admitted to personal
responsibility in all of this.
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Isaiah knew that no king wouldreveal strategic national
security matters to a foreignnation unless there was some
plan to work together onsomething important.
Being noticed on theinternational geopolitical stage
fed into Hezekiah's pride.
He became so entrenched withhow Babylon thought about him.
(30:31):
So Hezekiah's display of wealthand military power demonstrated
his pridefulness, hissinfulness.
Instead of focusing onglorifying God for healing him
of his sickness, which heproclaimed in the psalm, he
seemed to be determined todisplay his own earthly glory.
(30:53):
Hezekiah knew he was going tosurvive another 15 years.
He knew that the Assyrianswould not defeat Jerusalem.
He knew that God would defendJerusalem and furthermore, god
had previously reassuredHezekiah, through Isaiah, of his
covenant relationship with hispeople and his divine
preservation.
So with this knowledge,hezekiah should have known that
(31:18):
there was no need to make anyalliance with Babylon.
King Hezekiah's foolish actionscould not be justified and
Hezekiah's lack of spiritualawareness here was absolutely
inexcusable.
The chronicler in 2 Chroniclesgave a commentary on this event
(31:40):
and he said in chapter 32, verse31, when the ambassadors of
Babylon's rulers were sent tohim, god left him to test him
and discover what was in hisheart.
The chronicler recorded thatGod allowed all of this to test
him and to know everything thatwas in Hezekiah's heart.
(32:02):
Pride brings on God's rebuke.
Pride brings on God's rebuke.
Isaiah proceeded to pronounceGod's rebuke on Hezekiah's
behavior In verse 5,.
Then Isaiah said to HezekiahHear the word of the Lord of
(32:25):
armies.
Look, the days are coming wheneverything in your palace and
all that your predecessors havestored up until today will be
carried off to Babylon.
Nothing will be left, says theLord.
Notice that the plunder wasgoing to be taken to Babylon,
not Nineveh, the capital ofAssyria, the current power at
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the time.
This prediction was not byhuman insight, but by the one
sovereign Lord who knows the endfrom the beginning Isaiah 46.10
.
Although Hezekiah was exemptedfrom the coming violent disaster
, his pride cost him and hiskingdom financially.
His pride brought upon hispeople exiled to Babylon four
(33:13):
generations later.
And his pride even riskedending the Davidic line of kings
by causing some of hisdependents to serve as eunuchs
in the court of Babylon.
And what did Hezekiah have tosay about the Lord's judgment on
him?
Verse 8,.
Then Hezekiah said to Isaiahthe word of the Lord that you
(33:40):
have spoken is good, for hethought there will be peace and
security during my lifetime.
Hezekiah's selfish relief doesnot speak well for him.
This incident sets up theobvious prediction of the dark
days awaiting the house of Davidand the people of Judah,
(34:02):
hezekiah.
Hezekiah's pride in his wealthand military resources revealed
that his heart did not fullytrust God.
But you might ask me, didn't wesee in chapter 37 that Hezekiah
fully trusted God?
Yes, but also remember that theevents of chapter 36 and 37,
(34:25):
the Assyrian invasion of Judahand Jerusalem, occurred after
two years, three years after theevents of chapter 38 and 39.
Perhaps that is why the Lordextended his life.
He extended his life maybe tobreak his pride and cause him to
trust God fully.
(34:46):
Hezekiah's foolish display ofhis treasures came about because
Hezekiah claimed God'sblessings for his own glory.
Hezekiah's spiritual recoveryhad to wait to the trauma of the
full-scale invasion onJerusalem before he came to his
(35:07):
senses.
So this season of Hezekiah'slife serves as a cautionary tale
to us about the dangers ofpride, the dangers of boasting,
the dangers of misplacedpriorities.
Failure to appreciate andproperly manage God's blessings
leads to pride and an inflatedsense of self.
(35:29):
Our response to God's blessingsshould be rooted in proper
stewardship and humility, notpride or show.
Imagine that you're gifted abeautiful garden filled with
vibrant flowers and fruitfultrees.
You're so excited and you telleveryone about it, boasting of
(35:52):
its beauty and the blessings itbrings.
Yet you never tend to it.
You allow the weeds to takeover.
This garden once was a sourceof joy for you and now becomes a
hidden shame, because, muchlike pride can distort the
blessings from God when we failto obey his promises.
The garden can flourish only ifyou nurture it with care, just
(36:17):
as our faith is meant to producefruit through obedience.
Hezekiah was one of the mosttruly human of kings of Judah
Because of his faith andhumility in turning to God in
prayer at the time of hisdeepest personal crisis.
God not only blessed him with amiraculous healing from a fatal
(36:40):
illness.
God gave him far more than that, far more than what he had
asked for an extra 15 years ofliving and deliverance for him
and the city of Jerusalem fromthe power of the king of Assyria
.
His heart was genuinely movedtowards God and he composed a
psalm of thanksgiving inresponse to his healing.
(37:00):
But his will, like yours andmine, was fickle under the
pressures and temptations oflife.
Like David, and unlike thegreater David who was his
ascendant, jesus Christ,hezekiah's thoughts were often
largely about himself.
(37:22):
God's blessings could lead to adeeper faithfulness or a
dangerous pride, and the choicesthat we make and the attitudes
that we hold in our heartstowards God's blessings impact
not just our lives but also thelegacy we leave behind.
Remember that young musicianwho was blessed with an ability
(37:45):
to make music and a first job towrite music for a church.
Rather than seeing it just as ajob, he approached it with
gratitude and poured his heartinto his work.
He recognized God's blessingsthrough his deepened faith, and
he saw his musical talent andhis life as gifts from God, and
(38:08):
he used them to praise God andto share the gospel of Jesus
Christ through his compositions.
Little did he know hiscompositions would shape church
music for centuries.
Johann Sebastian Bach's legacyreminds us that by acting wisely
(38:29):
and responding joyfully to theblessings we receive, we can
leave an indelible mark forChrist on future generations.
If you respond to God'sblessings foolishly, like
Hezekiah, you will also leave anindelible mark on future
generations.
You can falter and fail.
(38:49):
Fail or you can choose wisely,grounded in humility and
faithfulness to God's purpose.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, you have beengenerous to us with earthly
treasures, as well as havingblessed us with every spiritual
blessing in the heavens.
(39:09):
In Christ, cause us torecognize your blessings.
I pray that your blessingscause us to grow in our devotion
to Christ.
Cause us to use your blessingsto minister to others and point
them to Christ.
Our goal, Father, is to glorifyyou in all we do, whether
through our actions, ourdevotion or even how we face
(39:33):
challenges.
I pray this in the name ofJesus, amen.
Isaiah and we come to a section of Isaiah which is an
inflection point in the book ofIsaiah.
We've come to a transition ofthe book of Isaiah and for the
past couple of weeks we've beenspending time in that, looking
at this historic transition.
Our text for today is chapters38 and 39.
(00:21):
These two chapters completethis transition in the book of
Isaiah from the prophecies ofjudgment to the prophecies of
comfort and hope and restoration.
The title of today's message isFaltering and Failing, and I've
(00:41):
subtitled it.
The Choices we Make, theLessons from the Life of
Hezekiah.
In 1685, a young musician inGermany was the eighth and
youngest child to be born to afamily of musicians.
He received a strong Christianeducation and a theological
(01:03):
foundation as a schoolboy.
At the age of 10, though, heencountered the most significant
crisis in his life His motherdied and eight months later his
father died.
By the grace of God, his eldestbrother took him in where he
(01:24):
studied, performed and copiedmusic.
He received valuable teachingfrom his brother.
Finding a job was difficult andthere are a limited number of
opportunities, and the demandfor musicians was primarily tied
to the patronage of nobles andthe church.
At the age of 18, he received amodest commission to create
(01:49):
music for a church.
How did this young man's heartview these blessings that God
had given him?
The attitude that this youngman held in his heart toward
God's blessings would shape hisdecisions and not only impact
his life, but also the legacy hewould leave for future
(02:11):
generations.
So it is with us.
The choices that we make inresponse to God's blessings flow
out of the attitudes we hold inour hearts.
They will impact not just ourlives, but also the legacy we
will leave for our children andour children's children.
Hezekiah's story urges us toevaluate our heart's attitude
(02:35):
and response towards theblessings God has given you.
You can falter and fail, likeHezekiah, or you can respond
wisely, grounded, humility andfaithfulness to God's purpose.
Your legacy will bear the marksof your choices.
(02:55):
Let's examine a part ofHezekiah's life that we have not
seen in our studies in Isaiahso far.
We will look at a time when hewas threatened by a fatal
disease but yet recovered, andshortly thereafter he received a
visit by delegates from Babylon, the aspiring power to be.
(03:16):
This is recorded in Isaiahchapters 38 and 39.
We'll dissect these events andlearn from Hezekiah's response
by way of three points Pleadingwith God, praising God for his
goodness and pride.
(03:37):
Before the fall, let's go toGod in prayer.
Heavenly Father, we come beforeyou with humble hearts, asking
that you would open our eyes tosee and our minds to understand
the truths you have revealed tous in your word.
Remove any blindness orhardness from our hearts that
(04:00):
would keep us from receivingwhat you desire to teach us.
That would keep us fromreceiving what you desire to
teach us.
Help us to approach your wordwith reverence, expectancy and
hearts ready to be transformed.
In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
(04:24):
In Isaiah chapters 36 and 37,hezekiah's faith was tested by
events in international politics.
His capital city, jerusalem,was on the brink of collapse as
the Assyrian war machine waspoised to bulldozer over
Jerusalem.
These events occurred in 701 BC.
In chapters 36 and 37, hezekiahshowed how it is possible to
turn fear into a calm andconfident trusting in God's
(04:48):
promises and finding deliverance.
The events recorded in Isaiahchapters 38 and 39 occurred a
couple of years before theAssyrian king Sennacherib
attacked Jerusalem, so they areout of sequence.
But many of the chapters inIsaiah are not chronological but
(05:10):
are arranged thematically,addressing different historical
situations.
The king of Babylon, merodagBaladin, mentioned in chapter 39
, ruled Babylon in the years 722to 710 BC and again in 704 BC.
(05:32):
His reign ended when theAssyrian king, sennacherib,
quelled that rebellion in 703 BC.
It was during Merodag Baladin'ssecond reign that Hezekiah
became severely ill andmiraculously recovered.
After Hezekiah recovered, theking of Babylon sent an envoy to
(05:55):
visit Hezekiah.
This event took place two tothree years before the Assyrian
invasion two to three yearsbefore the Assyrian invasion.
So Hezekiah still had hismilitary resources.
They were stockpiled and he hadnot yet squandered his rich
treasury in a last-ditch effortto pay off Sennacherib to avoid
(06:19):
Assyrian domination.
So with this background, let'slook at the first point Pleading
with God.
We'll look at this first aswhat triggered Hezekiah to plead
with God?
What action did Hezekiah takeand what was the result of
Hezekiah's action?
(06:39):
So what triggered Hezekiah toplead with God?
In contrast to the nationalcrisis brought on by the
military campaign of Sennacheriband his massive Assyrian army
in chapters 36 and 37, thecrisis Hezekiah encountered here
was intensely personal.
Let's look at verse 1, chapter38, verse 1.
(07:04):
Let's look at verse 1, chapter38, verse 1.
In those days, hezekiah becameterminally ill.
The prophet Isaiah, son of Amos, came and said to him this is
what the Lord says set yourhouse in order, for you are
about to die.
You will not recover.
You are about to die, you willnot recover.
(07:28):
Hezekiah appears to havesuffered from a serious skin
infection.
We learn that in verse 21.
Hezekiah appears to havesuffered quite badly, to the
point of death.
Some have thought it might havebeen leprosy, but then leprosy
is never really life-threatening.
Some thought it might have beenthe bubonic plague, and if
(07:50):
you're infected with a bubonicplague you have a matter of days
to a week still to live.
Regardless of what sicknessthat was, it was extremely
serious and Hezekiah was at thepoint of death.
But it's odd that we are notgiven any reason for this
announcement and why Hezekiahwas struck with this illness.
(08:16):
Famous, righteous kingsgenerally do not die at a young
age without some reason orwithout God's involvement age
without some reason or withoutGod's involvement.
We get a hint of a possiblereason from the chronicler's
commentary in 2 Chronicles,chapter 32, verse 25.
He writes however, because hisheart was proud, hezekiah didn't
(08:41):
respond according to thebenefit that had come to him.
So there was wrath on him,judah and Jerusalem.
God gave an imperative toHezekiah here.
He said set your house in orderTo put his house in order might
(09:10):
include more than just theobvious need to make political
decisions about who the nextking would be.
Another aspect of gettingthings in order before you die
could include things likespiritual things, getting back
into a right relationship withGod.
His illness, perhaps, was akind of wake-up call.
Hezekiah was only 39 years old.
(09:32):
He was still young and waslooking forward to much more of
life ahead of him, and he had ayoung son, manasseh, to train.
What action did Hezekiah take?
How did Hezekiah respond tothis news?
Instead of dwelling in despair,hezekiah turned to God in
(09:54):
prayer.
He demonstrated faith andhumility.
Look at verse 2 and 3.
Then Hezekiah turned his faceto the wall and prayed to the
Lord.
He said Please, lord, rememberhow I have walked before you
faithfully and wholeheartedlyand have done what pleases you,
(10:19):
and Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Now notice that Hezekiah didthree things.
He turned his face to the walland prayed.
He removed himself fromdistractions and concentrated
his focus onto prayer.
The second thing is he pleadedhis faithfulness, his
(10:40):
wholeheartedness, doing what wasgood in God's eyes, his
wholeheartedness, doing what wasgood in God's eyes.
He aimed to walk faithfully andwas devoted to the Lord, in the
early years of Hezekiah's reign, he initiated significant
reforms that included cleaning,repairing and reopening the
(11:01):
temple the temple which had beenused for idol worship by his
father, king Ahaz.
Hezekiah removed the highplaces and destroyed idols.
But do you remember Hezekiah'sprayer in chapter 37 that we
looked at last week?
This prayer in chapter 38 seemsradically different from the
(11:25):
humble tone of the prayer inchapter 37.
In this prayer, hezekiah doesnot proclaim his bold and
uncompromising faith in God.
In chapter 37, he confessed howgreat God is and that he is the
creator who rules over allkingdoms, and that he is the
(11:45):
creator who rules over allkingdoms.
In this prayer, hezekiahdoesn't repent of any sin, nor
does he implore God to act inways that would declare his
glory to all peoples of theearth, as he did in chapter 37.
But also remember, this prayerreflects a spiritually less
(12:06):
mature heart than what his heartwas two years later.
The third thing Hezekiah did washe wept.
Possibly he wept bitterly,causing him to realize his own
unworthiness and his need totrust God rather than his own
good works.
Instead of having a pity partyover his terminal health
(12:29):
conditions, hezekiah humbledhimself and turned to God in
prayer.
Now, what was the result ofHezekiah's prayer?
The Lord responded toHezekiah's plea almost
immediately.
But don't take this to meanthat God always answers prayers
right away.
What we do need to know is thatGod himself calls his people to
(12:55):
trust in him.
He tells us to be still andknow that I am God Psalm 46.10.
The Lord's response to Hezekiahis seen in verses 5 and 6.
Go and tell Hezekiah.
(13:15):
This is what the Lord, god ofyour ancestor David, says I have
heard your prayer, I have seenyour tears.
Look, I am going to add 15years to your life and I will
rescue you and the city from thegrasp of the king of Assyria.
I will defend this city.
In the parallel passage in 2Kings 20, verse 5, the Lord,
(13:42):
speaking through Isaiah, addedthe Lord was going to heal him
in a matter of three days.
There are several generalprinciples we can take from this
.
First, god's positive responseto your prayers is not a way of
(14:05):
paying you back for your gooddeeds.
In fact, god acknowledgedHezekiah's prayer and his tears,
but said nothing about his goodworks.
So don't get in your mind intothinking that you can make deals
with God by considering Lord.
I'll do this for you if you cando that for me.
It's evident in Hezekiah, first, that good works alone will not
(14:31):
prevent any early death.
Second thing is that all youcan do, and the most important
thing you can do, is to confessyour sins and cry out to God for
mercy.
And thirdly, that God mightsometimes choose to heal the
sick miraculously if it fitsinto his greater purposes.
(14:55):
The second general principle wecome to see as a result of
Hezekiah's prayer is God is ableto do far more than what you
ask or imagine.
This same principle is seen inPaul's doxology, in his prayer
to the Ephesians at the end ofEphesians, chapter 3.
Prayer to the Ephesians at theend of Ephesians, chapter 3.
(15:19):
God's power exceeds humanunderstanding.
Hezekiah never asked to livefor 15 more years, nor did he
ask for God to deliver the cityof Jerusalem, which wasn't going
to be attacked, by the way, foranother two or three years.
The third principle we see isthat God's plans take into
(15:41):
consideration not only thecurrent situation but also
future situations that you mightnot even be aware of today.
For Hezekiah, it was God'sdeliverance of Jerusalem and his
plans for Hezekiah himself ashe faced the Assyrian invasion a
few years later, as you recall,in chapters 36 and 37, there
(16:07):
were lessons that Hezekiah stillneeded to learn.
God could foresee the biggerpicture and knew that he needed
to teach Hezekiah, in otherwords, to get Hezekiah into a
position to trust him completely.
We learned that what would meanbreaking Hezekiah's pride was
(16:30):
that the extension of life thatGod granted him.
The Lord was then sovereignlyorchestrating Hezekiah's
experiences, ultimately to meetthe major shock of his life a
face-to-face encounter with theAssyrian army.
(16:51):
So, in your moments of crisis,plead with God, turn to God in
prayer, seek his mercy and hisintervention, but know this God
may respond to your pleading inorder to teach you to trust him
completely.
When you're feeling emotionallydrained and burdened by a very
(17:12):
difficult situation, make it aregular practice to set aside
time each evening to turn yourface to the wall.
Create a peaceful spot in yourhome where you can escape
distractions.
Use this time to pray andmeditate on God's promises,
allowing yourself to processyour feelings.
(17:33):
Invite the Lord to carry yourburdens with you and remind
yourself that you are not alonein your struggles.
Find rest in God's presence.
In deep despair for the suddennews of his impending death,
hezekiah pleaded with God inhumility, being full of mercy
(17:58):
and grace, god responded toHezekiah and miraculously healed
him from his near-deathcondition.
Not only that, god gave him 15extra years of life and promised
to rescue him and Jerusalemfrom the king of Assyria.
These undeserved blessingscatalyzed Hezekiah to praise God
(18:18):
for his goodness.
So this is our second pointregarding Hezekiah's response to
God.
He praised God for his goodness.
Hezekiah's response to God forhis healing is filled with
gratitude and reflection,acknowledging God's goodness.
Hezekiah composed a psalm.
Acknowledging God's goodness.
Hezekiah composed a psalm.
(18:38):
Not all of us can readilycompose a psalm, but we do so in
different ways in our ownhearts.
But he composed a psalm thathad two parts.
There was a lament over hisimpending death and a
thanksgiving for the Lord'sdeliverance.
Hezekiah reflected over thedanger that he was in and the
despair that he felt.
(19:02):
Turn with me to verse 10.
Hezekiah says in the prime ofmy life I must go to the gates
of Sheol.
I am deprived of the rest of myyears.
I said I will never see theLord, the Lord, in the land of
the rest of my years.
I said I will never see theLord, the Lord, in the land of
the living.
I will not look on humanity anylonger, with the inhabitants of
(19:26):
what is passing away.
My dwelling is plucked up andremoved from me like a
shepherd's tent.
I have rolled up my life like aweaver.
He cuts me off from the loom bynightfall.
You make an end of me.
I thought until the morning hewill break my bones like a lion.
(19:47):
By nightfall you make an end ofme.
We see here three images ofdespair.
The shepherd's tent, which istaken down forcibly by a storm
or by an enemy, depicts howfragile life is.
The weaver the weaver whosevers the thread of life.
(20:09):
And when the cloth of life getslarge enough, that's an image
of life's determined end.
The pain felt as every bone inhis body was being broken by a
lion portrays divine hostility.
(20:30):
These are the feelings thatHezekiah was feeling.
And from these three imagesanother image emerged, an image
of despair in the way we respond.
We see this in the feeblenessof prayer.
Hezekiah felt that his voicebecame thin and weak, sounding
like the weak and mournfulsounds of birds.
(20:52):
See that in verse 14.
Hezekiah grew weary as thestrain of prayer seemed to make
him grow even weaker.
But notice how Hezekiah'sprayer looked to the power of
God in verse 14 at the end ohLord, he says.
(21:13):
He also expressed his need,saying I am oppressed.
He says, and Hezekiah pleadedwith God to come to his aid.
Hezekiah knew that he wasn'table to heal himself.
Hezekiah realized that theexperience should humble him
because he knew that God broughton this illness.
(21:34):
Verse 15 says what can I say?
He has spoken to me and hehimself has done it.
So he pleaded with God toanswer him and pay the debt he
could not pay himself.
How God delivered Hezekiah fromdeath foreshadows what Jesus
(21:57):
Christ did to pay the penalty ofdeath that wretched sinners
like you and me owe to a holyand just God.
This salvation is a majorblessing from God to a believer
in Christ and encompasses a widerange of spiritual gifts.
Salvation is by grace alone,through faith alone in Jesus
(22:20):
Christ alone.
Trust in him, and he will giveyou rest from all your burdens.
So, after reflecting on theserecent dangers that Hezekiah
faced with his life-threateningillness, hezekiah abruptly
changed the tone of this psalm.
He changed it to expressgratefulness and God restored
(22:45):
him to health.
Look at verse 16.
Lord, by such things peoplelive, and in every one of them
my spirit finds life.
You have restored me to healthand let me live.
Hezekiah acted as one who hadpersonally benefited from the
Lord's mercy.
He sensed that God's love waswith him and that God did not
(23:09):
punish him in accord with whathis sins deserved.
We see this in verse 17.
Indeed, it was for my ownwell-being that I'd had such
intense bitterness, but yourlove has delivered me from the
pit of destruction, for you havethrown all my sins behind your
(23:31):
back.
Hezekiah voiced his gratefulpraise in the presence of the
covenant community, and we seethis in Isaiah 38, verses 19 and
20.
19, the living, only the living, can thank you as I do today.
A father will make yourfaithfulness known to children.
(23:52):
The Lord is ready to save me.
We will play stringedinstruments all the days of our
lives at the house of the Lord.
In his joy, hezekiah makes twolonger-term commitments.
The first one is to teach hischildren about God's faithful
covenant love, his covenant lovefor his people, and second, to
(24:15):
continually praise God.
Well, let's see if Hezekiahfollows up on this.
Hezekiah's commitment to praiseGod and to declare his
faithfulness should be mirroredin our own lives.
God's interventions in ourlives are his blessings and they
warrant heartfelt thanksgiving.
(24:36):
When God intervenes in yourlife.
Do you wholeheartedly thank Godand praise him in your life?
Do you wholeheartedly thank Godand praise him?
When we acknowledge ourblessings and praise God for his
goodness?
Our faith deepens, especiallyin preparation for future
(25:01):
uncertainties.
Future uncertainties when yourecognize that all of what you
have has come to you from theLord, when you recognize that
there is absolutely nothing thatyou did to deserve God's mercy,
and when you recognize thatyour deliverance from paying the
debt you owe God for your sinswas paid for by the death,
burial and resurrection of JesusChrist, then you will begin to
(25:23):
realize how exceedingly blessedyou are.
This deepens your faith in Godof the universe and prepares you
to enter life's uncertainties.
Hezekiah was a man of faith whorecognized his mortality and
sinfulness.
He pleaded for God's grace andmercy and was blessed with a
(25:45):
miraculous healing from neardeath and was graced with an
extension of life.
He praised God for his goodnessand promised God a new
obedience.
But when past and presentblessings produce pride in your
heart instead of a lastingthankfulness, as we shall see in
(26:07):
Hezekiah, your heart's attitudemight cause you to make
decisions that could negativelyimpact your relationship with
God, your future and yourchildren and your children's
children.
So beware, there is pridebefore the fall.
This is our third point Pridebefore the fall.
(26:29):
God's blessings could lead youto deeper faithfulness or
dangerous pride.
God's blessings could lead youto deeper faithfulness or
dangerous pride.
How did Hezekiah treat?
God's blessings?
Could lead you to deeperfaithfulness or dangerous pride.
How did Hezekiah treat God'sblessings?
Well, let's look at chapter 39.
Verse 1.
(26:54):
At that time, merodag Baladan,son of Baladan, king of Babylon,
sent letters and a gift toHezekiah, since he heard that he
had been sick and had recovered.
Hezekiah was pleased with theletters and he showed the envoys
his treasure house, the silver,the gold, the spices and the
(27:15):
precious oil and all his armoryand everything that was found in
his treasures.
There was nothing in his palaceand in all his realm that
Hezekiah did not show them.
Look at the blessings Hezekiahhad.
He had newly found health, hehad an extended lifespan, he had
(27:36):
wealth and riches of variouskinds.
Do you see Hezekiah's pridesurfacing?
Is there something aboutHezekiah that reminds you about
yourself?
To better understand Hezekiah'spride issue, let's see what
contributed to and led up tothis foolish display of his
(27:59):
wealth.
Assyria repeatedly defeated andcontrolled Babylon.
Muradak-baladan, the king ofBabylon, was subject to the
Assyrian empire.
When the Assyrian king SargonII died in 705 BC, he left the
(28:20):
kingship to his son Sennacherib.
He left the kingship to his sonSennacherib.
This brought on some politicalinstability in Assyria, so
Meridach-Baladin tried to takeadvantage of the situation and
he tried to gain independencefrom Assyria.
This was the setting of thisvisit.
(28:42):
So, while the exact reason forwhy the king of Babylon sent
letters and a gift to Hezekiahfollowing his recovery is not
explicitly stated, but itappeared to involve more than
just a simple visit to an oldfriend.
Muradach Baladin's actions werelikely aimed at forming a
rebellious alliance againstAssyria, with Hezekiah as a
(29:03):
potential partner.
Let's look at verse 3, chapter39.
Then the prophet Isaiah came toKing Hezekiah and asked him
what did these men say and wheredid they come to you from?
And Hezekiah replied they cameto me from a distant country,
from Babylon.
Notice that Hezekiah repliedthey came to me from a distant
(29:24):
country, from Babylon.
Notice that Hezekiahconveniently did not answer the
first question, the firstquestion being what did these
men say?
Isaiah must have sensed thatHezekiah was hiding something.
And then, verse 4 Isaiah askedwhat have they seen in your
(29:45):
palace?
Hezekiah's answer to thisquestion revealed to Isaiah,
what was really going on?
The text says Hezekiah answeredthey have seen everything in my
palace.
There isn't anything in mytreasuries that I didn't show
them.
And with this statementHezekiah admitted to personal
responsibility in all of this.
(30:07):
Isaiah knew that no king wouldreveal strategic national
security matters to a foreignnation unless there was some
plan to work together onsomething important.
Being noticed on theinternational geopolitical stage
fed into Hezekiah's pride.
He became so entrenched withhow Babylon thought about him.
(30:31):
So Hezekiah's display of wealthand military power demonstrated
his pridefulness, hissinfulness.
Instead of focusing onglorifying God for healing him
of his sickness, which heproclaimed in the psalm, he
seemed to be determined todisplay his own earthly glory.
(30:53):
Hezekiah knew he was going tosurvive another 15 years.
He knew that the Assyrianswould not defeat Jerusalem.
He knew that God would defendJerusalem and furthermore, god
had previously reassuredHezekiah, through Isaiah, of his
covenant relationship with hispeople and his divine
preservation.
So with this knowledge,hezekiah should have known that
(31:18):
there was no need to make anyalliance with Babylon.
King Hezekiah's foolish actionscould not be justified and
Hezekiah's lack of spiritualawareness here was absolutely
inexcusable.
The chronicler in 2 Chroniclesgave a commentary on this event
(31:40):
and he said in chapter 32, verse31, when the ambassadors of
Babylon's rulers were sent tohim, god left him to test him
and discover what was in hisheart.
The chronicler recorded thatGod allowed all of this to test
him and to know everything thatwas in Hezekiah's heart.
(32:02):
Pride brings on God's rebuke.
Pride brings on God's rebuke.
Isaiah proceeded to pronounceGod's rebuke on Hezekiah's
behavior In verse 5,.
Then Isaiah said to HezekiahHear the word of the Lord of
(32:25):
armies.
Look, the days are coming wheneverything in your palace and
all that your predecessors havestored up until today will be
carried off to Babylon.
Nothing will be left, says theLord.
Notice that the plunder wasgoing to be taken to Babylon,
not Nineveh, the capital ofAssyria, the current power at
(32:49):
the time.
This prediction was not byhuman insight, but by the one
sovereign Lord who knows the endfrom the beginning Isaiah 46.10
.
Although Hezekiah was exemptedfrom the coming violent disaster
, his pride cost him and hiskingdom financially.
His pride brought upon hispeople exiled to Babylon four
(33:13):
generations later.
And his pride even riskedending the Davidic line of kings
by causing some of hisdependents to serve as eunuchs
in the court of Babylon.
And what did Hezekiah have tosay about the Lord's judgment on
him?
Verse 8,.
Then Hezekiah said to Isaiahthe word of the Lord that you
(33:40):
have spoken is good, for hethought there will be peace and
security during my lifetime.
Hezekiah's selfish relief doesnot speak well for him.
This incident sets up theobvious prediction of the dark
days awaiting the house of Davidand the people of Judah,
(34:02):
hezekiah.
Hezekiah's pride in his wealthand military resources revealed
that his heart did not fullytrust God.
But you might ask me, didn't wesee in chapter 37 that Hezekiah
fully trusted God?
Yes, but also remember that theevents of chapter 36 and 37,
(34:25):
the Assyrian invasion of Judahand Jerusalem, occurred after
two years, three years after theevents of chapter 38 and 39.
Perhaps that is why the Lordextended his life.
He extended his life maybe tobreak his pride and cause him to
trust God fully.
(34:46):
Hezekiah's foolish display ofhis treasures came about because
Hezekiah claimed God'sblessings for his own glory.
Hezekiah's spiritual recoveryhad to wait to the trauma of the
full-scale invasion onJerusalem before he came to his
(35:07):
senses.
So this season of Hezekiah'slife serves as a cautionary tale
to us about the dangers ofpride, the dangers of boasting,
the dangers of misplacedpriorities.
Failure to appreciate andproperly manage God's blessings
leads to pride and an inflatedsense of self.
(35:29):
Our response to God's blessingsshould be rooted in proper
stewardship and humility, notpride or show.
Imagine that you're gifted abeautiful garden filled with
vibrant flowers and fruitfultrees.
You're so excited and you telleveryone about it, boasting of
(35:52):
its beauty and the blessings itbrings.
Yet you never tend to it.
You allow the weeds to takeover.
This garden once was a sourceof joy for you and now becomes a
hidden shame, because, muchlike pride can distort the
blessings from God when we failto obey his promises.
The garden can flourish only ifyou nurture it with care, just
(36:17):
as our faith is meant to producefruit through obedience.
Hezekiah was one of the mosttruly human of kings of Judah
Because of his faith andhumility in turning to God in
prayer at the time of hisdeepest personal crisis.
God not only blessed him with amiraculous healing from a fatal
(36:40):
illness.
God gave him far more than that, far more than what he had
asked for an extra 15 years ofliving and deliverance for him
and the city of Jerusalem fromthe power of the king of Assyria
.
His heart was genuinely movedtowards God and he composed a
psalm of thanksgiving inresponse to his healing.
(37:00):
But his will, like yours andmine, was fickle under the
pressures and temptations oflife.
Like David, and unlike thegreater David who was his
ascendant, jesus Christ,hezekiah's thoughts were often
largely about himself.
(37:22):
God's blessings could lead to adeeper faithfulness or a
dangerous pride, and the choicesthat we make and the attitudes
that we hold in our heartstowards God's blessings impact
not just our lives but also thelegacy we leave behind.
Remember that young musicianwho was blessed with an ability
(37:45):
to make music and a first job towrite music for a church.
Rather than seeing it just as ajob, he approached it with
gratitude and poured his heartinto his work.
He recognized God's blessingsthrough his deepened faith, and
he saw his musical talent andhis life as gifts from God, and
(38:08):
he used them to praise God andto share the gospel of Jesus
Christ through his compositions.
Little did he know hiscompositions would shape church
music for centuries.
Johann Sebastian Bach's legacyreminds us that by acting wisely
(38:29):
and responding joyfully to theblessings we receive, we can
leave an indelible mark forChrist on future generations.
If you respond to God'sblessings foolishly, like
Hezekiah, you will also leave anindelible mark on future
generations.
You can falter and fail.
(38:49):
Fail or you can choose wisely,grounded in humility and
faithfulness to God's purpose.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, you have beengenerous to us with earthly
treasures, as well as havingblessed us with every spiritual
blessing in the heavens.
(39:09):
In Christ, cause us torecognize your blessings.
I pray that your blessingscause us to grow in our devotion
to Christ.
Cause us to use your blessingsto minister to others and point
them to Christ.
Our goal, Father, is to glorifyyou in all we do, whether
through our actions, ourdevotion or even how we face
(39:33):
challenges.
I pray this in the name ofJesus, amen.
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